The Castle Studies Group Bulletin
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THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP BULLETIN Volume 22 September 2016 Editorial INSIDE THIS ISSUE At the AGM in April, which was held during the annual CSG conference in Hereford, Dr Penny Dransart was overwhelmingly endorsed as the News Wales new CSG Scotland representative. 2-3 Penny is a long standing and active member of CSG who, as Reader and News England an archaeologist at the University of 4-6 Wales Trinity Saint David, will bring not only a host of knowledge of Scottish castle archaeology and history but will Hastings Castle also provide a strong focus for Scotland 7-9 Photo above: Dr Penny Dransart at the Leeds and its castles on the CSG committee. Medieval Congress practising the art of falconry. Members who have an interest Picture by Paul Watkins. News Europe in the castles of Ireland will be pleased 10 to hear that the 2018 CSG conference is to be held in SW Ireland and will be organised by Brian Hodkinson and Dan Tietzsch-Tyler. Norwich Castle Readers will see that in this edition of the Bulletin there are a couple Keep of essays in amongst castle related news items that I hope people will find 11 interesting. The submission of similar short articles, opinion pieces and comment are encouraged and welcomed and will be published along with a Diary Dates summary of recent castle news in an attempt to keep the Bulletin relevant 12 and, indeed, to maintain a purpose of such a newsletter in the world of social media and digital interest groups. Thanks as always to everyone who News Scotland has contributed to this edition of the Bulletin. 13 Peter A Burton CSG Bulletin Editor CSG Conference 2017 14 Kindrochit Castle The castle is in Braemar, situated on a route between Strathmore and Pembroke Study Day Mar, above a crossing over the River Clunie (NO 1512 9134). An excavation 15-16 undertaken in 2014 by Alder Archaeology Ltd, funded by the North East Scotland Preservation Trust, revealed the basal courses of a substantial Castle Studies Trust wall connecting the ruined gatehouse with what survives of a corner tower. 17-18 The lower part of a splayed window or arrow slot was also uncovered. With funding last year of £210,000 from the Cairngorms National Park Authority News Ireland and Aberdeenshire Council, the site has been consolidated and is now open 19-20 to the public. Kindrochit Castle. Wressle Castle Braemar. Before and 21-28 after photos showing recent consolidation work. © North East Scotland Preservation Trust CASTLE STUDIES GROUP BULLETIN. September 2016. NEWS WALES Ruthin Castle Conservation Trust The Conservation Trust at Ruthin Castle is a new charitable trust set up specifically for the restoration, preservation and preventative maintenance of the Ruthin Castle Estate including the 13th Century castle, the ‘castle mansion’, auxiliary buildings and historical walls and grounds. The west gate In order to achieve its goals, The at Ruthin Castle, photographed on the Conservation Trust aims to raise funding from CSG visit to Ruthin public and private organisations, along with during the 2015 voluntary donations from interested parties, to Wrexham conference. ensure that ongoing maintenance is provided for. Another objective for the Trust will be to raise the public perception of the 13th century castle, and to give it the clear individual attention that it deserves, separating it from the commercial hotel. The current owners include the Saint Claire family who have held the property since 2004 and the Walshe family who in 2014 partnered them in the fight to conserve this important heritage property. Since 2004 more than £4 million has been expended on the repair, development and refurbishment of the property. The partners established the charitable Ruthin Castle Conservation Trust earlier this year. The trust has five founder directors who bring a range of expertise including archaeology, engineering and business and includes Dr Sian Rees, former Cadw Inspector of Ancient Monuments and a highly respected archaeologist and castle expert. Further information or offers of help should be directed by email to [email protected] The Cambrian Archaeological Association At the annual summer meeting of the Cambrian Archaeological Association held in the first week of July, based in Ruthin, Denbighshire, Dr John Kenyon was installed as the Cambrians’ new President, for 2016/17. His Presidential Address – ‘ “Those proud, ambitious heaps’: whither castle studies?’ – will be published in a future issue of Archaeologia Cambrensis, probably towards the end of 2017. Hay-on-Wye Castle receives £4.46 million from HLF An award of £4.46 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund will save and restore Hay Castle and accompanying Grade 1 listed mansion. The funding will enable the Hay Castle Trust to save and consolidate the castle ruins; provide access to the keep; Hay-on-Wye Castle. restore the mansion; reopen the ancient gate; create a Inner side of gateway museum-standard gallery, educational space and café; and c.1200. The timber doors are original with provide flexible spaces for use by the local community and the right hand side public. construction bearing a remarkable similarity In addition to the award by the Heritage Lottery Fund, to the Chepstow castle the Trust has also raised over £1 million with the help of its doors dated 1189-1219, supporters. However, £900,000 still needs to be raised by the so might be a primary feature. The left hand end of this year in order for work to begin on site in 2017. door is a replacement When the project is complete, Hay Castle will be open and has been tree-ring to the public for the first time in its 800-year history. dated to the early 17th C. A series of test pits are being investigated at the Castle which will help form the plans for the renovation and locate necessary items such as a lift and possible soakaway drainage. Three pits have been dug within the derelict section and on Page 2 CASTLE STUDIES GROUP BULLETIN. September 2016. Hay-on-Wye Castle. May 9th a soakaway test was excavated in the Test pits being dug earlier this year. gravel area on the southern lawn. Archaeologists Peter Dorling and Dai ©Hay Castle Trust Williams have dug the interior pits by hand with the help of a willing team of volunteers. The soakaway pit however required a little more power behind the spade and so a JCB was called in. Everyone was surprised, and quite relieved, that the JCB was able to dig a 2m hole without disturbing any archaeology. Cadw archaeologist Will Davies was also on hand to supervise the excavation. Engineers then filled the pit with three bowsers of water to test the permeability of the soil for the suitability of a soakaway. Peter Dorling and Dai will now return to more sedate methods of digging whilst they prepare around nine more sites for investigation. CSG were able to visit Hay Castle during this years Hereford conference to see first hand the scale of the work to be accomplished and to discuss the archaeology of the medieval remains with Cadw’s Will Davies. Hen Gastell, Llanwnda ARCHAEOLOGISTS have confirmed the discovery of a small medieval castle, likely belonging to a local Welsh lord, near Caernarfon. Gwynedd Archaeological Trust teams, who spent more than two years carefully excavating and analysing the Hen Gastell (Old Castle) site in Llanwnda, said the small castle was occupied in the 11th or 12th centuries by “someone of significance.” Hen Gastell, Llanwnda. The Trust have announced their final conclusions A view of the site after receiving specialist reports back on under excavation. their findings and confirmation of a further 10 ©Alan Keith Hole radiocarbon dates. Site director Jane Kenney said: “The old people who named this site were right, as usual, and this was a type of small medieval castle, perhaps more like a manor house than a real castle. “It was occupied in the 11th or 12th centuries by someone of significance who could afford to hire a blacksmith to make the knives and nails and other small items that the house needed.” Among the findings made alongside the site’s main building were a possible timber tower or a rectangular hall. The site’s owner could afford fancy bronze or brass decorations on his belt or horse harness, and perhaps a touch of gold - even if it was only really gilt. “The house was occupied for no more than about four generations, Hen Gastell, Llanwnda. perhaps much less, and then abandoned,” Ms The arrows on the Kenney said. “Some of the posts of the house photo indicate the position of the large were pulled out, possibly to be reused, but others postholes. left to rot”. The site was then forgotten until, maybe ©Gwynedd Archaeological Trust in the 16th or 17th century, a small farmhouse was built in the infilled ditch later to be replaced by the current farmhouse. Hen Gastell is a small, but impressive site with a big ditch and outer bank but tiny interior. Work by Gwynedd Archaeological Trust in 2014-2016 proved that it is a medieval defensive site and not Iron Age as previously suspected. It was probably the home of a local Welsh lord with a timber hall or even perhaps a timber tower inside. Further details including full excavations reports can be found on the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust website: http://www.heneb.co.uk/hengastell/info.html Page 3 CASTLE STUDIES GROUP BULLETIN. September 2016. NEWS ENGLAND Recent excavations at Longtown and Ponthendre Castles, Herefordshire For three weeks in July, Herefordshire Archaeology, (Herefordshire Councils Archaeology Section), has been excavating and surveying Longtown and Ponthendre Castles in Herefordshire.